The growth of the heat pump market

Heat pump is an efficient and environmentally friendly heating method, and its reliability and practicality have been fully verified. It is the core force driving the global trend towards sustainable heating, and the electricity required for operation has low emissions characteristics. Energy efficiency is a key factor in evaluating heat pumps when compared to traditional boilers, low emission hydrogen energy, other renewable energy sources, and conventional building systems.

By switching to heat pumps, the European Union (EU) can significantly reduce the amount of natural gas used for heating. Due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, natural gas prices have risen to their highest point, which will also help reduce the use of natural gas. In 2021, the global sales growth rate of heat pumps exceeded 15%, which is twice the growth rate of the previous decade. The EU's sales have grown by an astonishing 35%, which is the main factor driving this growth.

It is expected that the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2021 to 2026 will be 9.5%, and the revenue of the global heat pump market will increase from $53.2 billion in 2021 to $83.5 billion in 2026. The installation of heat pumps in the European Union is expected to increase significantly by 335% compared to 2021, exceeding 6.7 million units by 2030. According to an EIA report, the global installation of heat pumps will increase from 180 million units in 2020 to approximately 600 million units by 2030.

The importance of power modules in improving the efficiency of heat pumps

Heat pump is a multifunctional and energy-efficient technology used for cooling and heating. Heat pumps can change the direction of refrigerant flow through directional valves to achieve heating or cooling. During this process, air passes through the evaporator coil, promoting the transfer of heat energy from the air to the refrigerant. Thermal energy circulates in the refrigerant and is then released through the condenser coil, while the fan blows air through the coil. During this process, thermal energy is transferred from one location to another, as shown in Figure 1. As we strive to achieve a carbon free future, there is a high demand for power semiconductors with efficient motor control capabilities. It is crucial to reduce the overall size and cost of the system while improving efficiency.

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Figure 1: Working principle of heat pump

The implementation of new energy efficiency regulations for compressors and pumps requires the integration of electronic control motors into the design, which poses additional challenges for power electronics designers. The use of variable frequency systems with intelligent power module (IPM) technology in cooling systems has been widely recognized to potentially reduce power consumption by 30% compared to non variable frequency systems.

IPM regulates the power flow of the variable frequency compressor and fan in the heat pump system by precisely adjusting the frequency and voltage of the current delivered to the three-phase motor (Figure 2). Efficient control of motors helps achieve higher energy efficiency standards for compressors and pumps. Choosing high-efficiency and compact IPM products not only saves energy, but also allows designers to save installation space, improve performance, and shorten development cycles. For example, Onsemi's SPM31 series 1200V IGBT is an ideal solution for three-phase heat pump applications.

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Figure 2: Block diagram of three-phase heat pump

SPM 31: High Energy Efficiency Motor Control

The SPM31 series IPM integrates the latest Field Cut Off 7 (FS7) IGBT technology and seventh generation diode technology, achieving excellent efficiency and stability. These two technologies significantly reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI), decrease power loss, and increase power density. These modules are equipped with gate driver ICs and other protection functions such as undervoltage lockout, overcurrent shutdown, temperature monitoring, and fault reporting (Figure 3).

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Figure 3: 1200 V SPM31 series IPM products in heat pump systems

In addition, compared to the previous generation solution and other IPM alternatives, the SPM31 IPM has a smaller size (54.5 mm x 31mm x 5.6 mm) (Figure 4). The SPM31 solution achieves high power density, higher performance, and lower total system cost. Due to its strong stability within a smaller package size, it is an ideal solution for saving installation space.

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Figure 4: SPM 31 IPM Package

The goal of the SPM31 product structure is to achieve low-power modules that reduce footprint and enhance reliability. To achieve this, SPM31 adopts a new FS7 IGBT technology, an enhanced Direct Bonded Copper (DBC) substrate based on die cast model packaging, and a new gate driven high voltage integrated circuit (HVIC).

SPM31 is used to drive low-voltage side IGBT low-voltage integrated circuits (LVICs) with temperature sensing function, which can improve the overall reliability of the system. LVIC can generate analog signals proportional to its temperature. This voltage is used to monitor the temperature of the module and implement necessary protective measures to prevent overheating.

A related feature of SPM31 is that its integrated HVIC can work efficiently, converting the logic level gate input into isolated, different level gate drivers, which is crucial for the efficient operation of the high-voltage side IGBT in the module. Each phase has an independent IGBT negative terminal to accommodate various control methods.

For high-power applications, the heat dissipation capability of the package is crucial to ensure the required performance. The key to high-quality packaging technology lies in the ability to maintain excellent heat dissipation performance while optimizing packaging size without reducing insulation levels. The SPM31 device adopts DBC substrate technology, which gives it excellent heat dissipation performance. This technology improves reliability and heat dissipation capability. The power chip is physically fixed on the DBC substrate (Figure 5).

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Figure 5: Cross sectional view of SPM 31 package

epilogue

The performance of heat pumps is expected to be three times that of ordinary fuel boilers, and by 2030, the installation of heat pumps will increase threefold, from 1.5 million units per month to about 5 million units. Power semiconductor technologies such as the Ansenmei SPM31 IPM series not only improve the efficiency of heat pump systems, but also reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

This is reported by Top Components, a leading supplier of electronic components in the semiconductor industry

They are committed to providing customers around the world with the most necessary, outdated, licensed, and hard-to-find parts.

Media Relations

Name: John Chen

Email: salesdept@topcomponents.ru